The Apprentice’s Companion I:
First Level Arcana

By Darkgolem

Updated 11/07/06

First level spells are often the most versatile and useful of spells
awizard can have. While not as awesome or flashy overall, they
usually have applicability in the most circumstances among all the
spells a spell caster can learn.

Author’s Note: These spells have been thoroughly researched, and
should be very accurate based upon post release testing. Hit dice
for test subjects had to be estimated as the following: kobolds
½ hit dice, hobgoblins 1, bugbears 3 and ogres 4, but this
carried true for testing different spells, so probably is correct.

Wizard and sorcerer ratings are a gauge (with 5 being best) of how
worthwhile that spell might be for that class to take.

Notes: “ A cone of searing flame shoots forth, damaging targets in the
area of the flames.” This spell requires you to stand still while
casting, and due to the mobile nature of combatants is not as good as
it could be. It is the only damaging 1st level spell that affects
an area, making it worth considering if a sorcerer. This spell
allows a reflex save for half damage.

Notes: “Enemy becomes frightened.” This spell causes your
opponent to run away from you, and will not resist if attacked.
While of some use in disrupting your opponents, hypnotism and charm
person last longer or affect more opponents. If the opponent
should make its save, it will be shaken instead, for 6 seconds.
This spell will not affect foes over 5 hit dice.

Notes: “Charms an enemy humanoid, which will fight as a trusted friend
and ally.” This spell causes your opponent to fight for you in
combat. It has the very annoying drawback of preventing
completion of events that require you to kill your charmed foe, such as
doors that won’t open until all your opponents are killed, etc.
Your foe receives a save when you first cast charm, and every 15 - 30
seconds afterward until he fails. Until then, your enemy will
fight for you. This spell will only affect humanoids.

Notes: “Makes a touch echo with the chill of death. On the
undead, causes a panicked flight.” The fear affect has the same
properties as Cause Fear except it only will affect undead.
Because of the high will saves undead have, this spell is not
dependable for driving intelligent undead away. This spell causes
negative energy (as opposed to cold) damage. This spell does not
affect unliving creatures, such as constructs, unless otherwise noted.

Notes: “Reveals secret and hidden doors.” An unremarkable but
occasionally useful spell. This spell appears to be bugged--if a party
member is near a secret door when this spell is cast, the caster will
not note the secret door's presence.

Notes: “ Expeditious retreat increases the caster’s base run
speed” The increase is about 10%. While handy for keeping
up with a hasty party, running from battle is too sudden a necessity
for this to be overly useful. Good for the wizard who has slots
to spare, a waste of precious slots for most sorcerers.

Notes: “Feather Fall causes an ally to fall slowly preventing damage
normally caused by falling long distances.” This can be cast,
theoretically, on a point designated by a cursor, but in reality saving
a falling ally is too difficult for this to work easily. Useful
when in a risky height, however.

Notes: “Covers the ground with a layer of slippery grease, forcing
targets to make a reflex save or fall.” This spell can be
targeted on a location or a foe. This is a very situational
spell, useful for blocking a narrow approach by your enemies, but not
as useful for a disorganized or melee-oriented party. The DC 12 save
for this spell cannot be changed at this time by any means. A new
save is forced every 6 seconds. Regardless of a creature making a
save or not, they move at 50% normal rate, except vermin.

Notes: “Gestures and droning incantations fascinate nearby enemies,
causing them to stop and stare blankly” Arguably, the most useful
of the non-damaging spell at first level. Note that it may have
a hit dice limit to be found in later levels; this has not been
determined yet by the author of this guide. This spell affects at least
12 hit dice of creatures, and can affect giants and giant-kin in
addition to humanoids.

Notes: “Jump gives the target a bonus to Jump skill checks.” The bonus
granted by this spell is +10 at levels one through 4, +20 at levels
five through 8th, and +30 at levels 9 through 10. There are
situations where attaining a height is very useful for archers and
casters, but overall this is spell that has limited usage.

Notes: “An invisible, but tangible field of force surrounds an ally,
providing an armor bonus. Because mage armor is made of force,
incorporeal attacks cannot bypass it like normal armor.” Keep in
mind that this is the same type of bonus found with regular armor and
shield, and does not stack with those bonus types.

Notes: “A missile of magical energy darts forth and unerringly strikes
its target.” While less damaging than the other types of first
level damage spells, this spell has certain advantages that make it
retain
value over levels. It affects incorporeal foes without fail, it
increases in damage to 5d2+15 at level 9, it has long range, and it
does not require a to-hit roll.

Notes: “A ray of freezing air projects from your finger. It deals
1d10 points of damage, but deals no damage if a creature makes it’s
saving throw”. This spell is most useful as a single target spell
against creatures vulnerable to cold. Note that because it does
no damage if a save is made, spell casters who do not make their spells
saving throw difficulty class as high as possible should consider other
spells.

Notes: “A misty vapor arises around the caster, obscuring all
sight.” This vapor stays where created once cast. While in
the cloud, all are provided total concealment (the equivalent to
invisibility for bonuses) and given total blindness. Creatures in
the mist are granted a 20% miss chance if attacked.

Notes: “Creates a magical barrier that wards a target from attacks by
evil creatures. It grants a bonus to armor and saves.”
Against evil creatures' attacks and spells this provides a +1
deflection armor class bonus and +1 divine bonus to saving
throws. The saving throw is ok, but replicated by the presence of
a paladin or a Bless spell. This spell (and spells of the same
sort that protect from other alignments) makes the creature who
benefits from this spell immune to charm and domination spells and
abilities, command undead and similar. It does not affect spells
that force a specific action, such as Otto’s Resistible dance.

Notes: “A coruscating ray springs toward the target, inflicting a
penalty to strength.” This spell is good for "debuffing" a tough
foe. Remember that the affects of multiple rays do not stack, but
overlap.

Notes: “Transmutes the structure of a living construct ally to repair
light damage.” This spell heals 1d8+ (1 per level) damage to a
warforged. There is no reason a wizard should not have this
spell. A sorceress may not wish to spend the known spell slot.

Notes: “Grants a shield bonus to armor class and protects from magic
missiles.” This spell seems to provide a deflection bonus, rather
than an armor bonus, providing protection against touch attacks and
stacking with regular and mage armor.

Notes: “Sleep induces a magical slumber to come upon enemies, rendering
them helpless until attacked. The spell is ineffective against undead
or constructs.” This spell can be targeted upon a spot designated
by a cursor, but the fast paced nature of combat makes this a difficult
technique. When placed upon a running creature, it will appear at
the location the creature was when activated, usually missing.
Hypnotism is much more effective for disabling creatures until dealt
with in other ways. This spell affects a flat 4 hit dice of creatures
upon each use.

Notes: “Summons a celestial dog to fight for you for a brief
time.” The celestial dog that this spell summons is useful for
taking the brunt of attacks that would be otherwise targeted on you
and useful for finding opponents around corners. At later levels
it is not as useful but still can find foes that are behind furniture,
placed in the way of suspected traps, and so on.

Notes: “Tumble gives an ally a bonus to their Tumbling
skill.” This spell grants a +10 to Tumble skill. This is
very useful in combat, when enemies are inevitably close to you,
style="font-style: italic;">if you or your fellow party members
have the Tumble skill.